


When I Fall Apart, You Build Me Back Up

by carrotcouple



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: F/M, Reincarnation, The Characters Are Probably OOC, for a group chat secret santa, i tried very hard, merry christmas you guys!, since it's my first time writing them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carrotcouple/pseuds/carrotcouple
Summary: “Echo, what is the last thing you remember?” Oz asked, not inching forward yet. He needed to assess how prone to reacting violently she was.“How did you get out of jail?” Echo tilted her head to the side, looking both confused and relieved.
Relationships: Echo/Oz Vessalius
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	When I Fall Apart, You Build Me Back Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lena_hope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lena_hope/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Maddy! You deserve the whole world and you're a lovely daughter! I tried my best to write them well! I hope you like it!

“Eh? You’re going to an embroidery gallery with Echo? That’s not fair Oz! You said you would take me and Lily to watch the movie!” Alice whined over the phone. Oz sighed to himself. 

“Alice, I made no such promise. I’ve been talking about this gallery for weeks with Sharon, just ask her, she’ll tell you. Taking you guys to the movie was something you decided by yourself without listening to me at all.” Oz checked the clock to make sure he wasn’t making himself late. 

“You only ever go places with Echo! No fair! Boohoo! I’m not saving your share of cookies!” Alice yelled.

“Alice!” Oz cried out in exasperation and then she cut the call. Oz sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll talk to Ada about this…”

“Was that Alice?” Oz spun around to see Echo standing in the room doorway, her head tilted to one side, her face nearly expressionless if it weren’t tiniest for the downward curve of her lips that signaled her concern. “I could always just ask Noi-”

“No, it’s OK,” Oz said hurriedly. “Alice made plans without my consent. She’ll have to handle this by herself. And anyways,” Oz smiled and walked over to Echo to hold out his hand to her. He beamed when she took it. “I’ve been looking forward to this gallery ever since you first mentioned it.”

“I first mentioned it half a year ago,” she said, looking confused. 

“Exactly,” Oz said cheerfully. “Shall we go?” 

“Alright,” she nodded, the faintest blush dusted across her cheeks. 

The gallery was being held in one of the halls of their university and since they lived right nearby, it didn’t take too long to get there. The place was already crowded with the minority that this kind of event called for. Oz had begged Sharon to teach him everything about embroidery and the like so that he wouldn’t look like a clueless idiot when viewing. 

Even so, the pieces took his breath away. From simple but gorgeous handkerchiefs, to dresses to full tapestries, there were so many astounding things to look at. Nothing could truly prepare him enough to keep from gaping in awe. Luckily, Echo was just as enamored, fingers hovering mere centimeters away from the display glass and sparkles in her eyes. Oz felt extremely satisfied. 

They went around, Oz grateful that even if he didn’t get to show off his knowledge, he at least understood what the explanations said. He owed a month’s worth of early morning coffee to Sharon. He conversed with Echo when she got excited enough to turn to him and talk about a pattern or technique used that she liked. 

“Hm, do you want that?” Oz pointed to a free embroidered hair clip that they were giving out as they neared the end of the gallery. There were more women at the gallery after all. Echo turned to look at the hair clips and looked hesitant. 

“I could get one for Noise,” Echo said softly. “She likes putting things in her hair.”

“You could put one in your hair too,” Oz said. Echo flushed, stopping in her tracks.

“It wouldn’t suit me,” she said. 

“That’s not true!” Oz said, quickly snatching up a hair clip and turning to Echo with a smile. “Let me try this,” he said. He leaned towards her and she turned her head slightly to give him access to her hair. Once Oz pinned it in place he leaned back, rocking on his heels. “I was right, you look beautiful!” Oz grinned. Echo stared at him for a moment, her eyes blank, a lost look on her face. “Echo? Is something wrong?” Oz asked her. 

“I feel...like this has happened before,” she said quietly. Oz tried not to show that he froze for just a millisecond. 

“Is that so?” Oz asked her with a smile. 

_ “They said at the end of the festival, you have to present a green feather to a girl!” _

“The feeling of deja vu is pretty unsettling right?” Oz asked her, taking her hand. She still looked lost and confused. “It happens to me a lot and I always wonder how many lives I’ve lived!”

“How many lives…” Echo looked at him with a look of disbelief. Oz chuckled.

“What do you want for lunch?” Oz asked her. 

* * *

_ “We got to meet all your housemates before we go first!” Ada said, grabbing Oz’s bag and hauling it up the stairs. “I want to greet all of them and ask them to take care of you.” _

_ “Ada, you sound like my older sister,” Oz laughed awkwardly.  _

_ “She isn’t?” Leo asked in surprise. Oz turned to look back at his new housemate.  _

_ “She’s my  _ younger _ sister! Isn’t it obvious?” Oz asked incredulously.  _

_ “Leo, I can’t help with dinner to-” One of the doors down the hall opened up and out stepped someone Oz had been certain he would never ever see again. The both of them had been...false identities of sort, something that didn’t truly exist. Oz was lucky enough to exist now. He never thought in his wildest dreams that he would ever see her again. _

_ “Ah,” she said and then stared blankly.  _

_ “Oz, let me introduce you to one of the housemates. Her name is Echo, she’s a textile and fashion major,” Leo said.  _

_ “Echo…” Oz couldn’t stop himself from saying. Echo blinked, looking surprised. _

_ “Oh? You know not to call her with honorifics?” Leo asked curiously.  _

_ “Oh!” Oz exclaimed. “Oh no! That was terribly rude of me! It’s an unusual name so I-” Oz started.  _

_ “Oz is a very unusual name too,” Echo murmured and Oz tried not to smile giddily. That look on her face meant she was displeased.  _

_ “I’m sorry, I’ll fix the way I call yo-” Oz said, eagerly, already knowing that he would be met with adamant rejection.  _

_ “No, just Echo is fine, thank you very much,” she frowned. “Leo, I have something to do with my sister later today. I can’t help cook dinner.” _

_ “That’s OK,” Leo nodded. Echo vanished back into her room after nodding at them and then Leo showed them to Oz’s room. Leo left them to settle down and Ada turned to look at Oz, a frown on her face. _

_ “What is wrong with you?” she asked. _

_ “Me?” Oz asked in surprise. _

_ “You have the most elated smile on your face. Did you actually fall in love with that girl on first sight?” she asked.  _

_ “Fall in love?!” Oz cried out. “Of course not!” _

_ “Huh...like I’m believing that…” _

* * *

Ada hadn’t been wrong. It took awhile for Oz to come to terms with what he felt for Echo and it took even longer for him to ask Echo out. They had been dating for a couple of months and Oz welcomed the peaceful bliss that came with being by Echo’s side without their lives being endangered. 

Oz always knew about the world which he had seen a long time ago, for as long as he could remember. Some people, he met again, others...he hoped were out there somewhere, even if he never met them again. Adjusting to meeting someone he felt like he had always known and learning everything about them anew was hard, not to mention that several of them had become different people. 

Like Echo. 

Echo was still Echo, but she was different. This Echo was more expressive, she was on good terms with her twin sister, Noise, and she had learned to live for herself. She wasn’t really the Echo from back then and Oz had to learn that slowly. 

Oz was the only one that remembered.

Well not exactly. Lottie remembered bits and pieces, gave him hell about what she couldn’t remember and nagged at him when he told her what happened and she didn’t believe him anyways. And sometimes...Echo dreamed. 

_ Bang! _

Oz started when he heard something clatter in the hallway. It was three in the morning and the only one on this floor other than Oz for the summer vacation was Echo. He quickly climbed out of bed and pulled open the door to see Echo huddled up against the wall, arms curled around herself in a position Oz could only describe as defensive. Her eyes were open wide, staring at him like a wounded animal. 

“Echo?” Oz asked softly. “Are you OK? Did you have anoth-” 

“Oz sama,” Echo said with a punched out gasp. 

_ Ah, it wasn’t exactly the Echo he was looking for _ .

“You just call me ‘Oz’, remember?” Oz asked, bending down, his knees hitting the floor so he wouldn’t overwhelm her in her sensitive state. She studied him for a bit. 

“No,” she said. He wasn’t sure whether she was replying to his question or telling him that she refused to call him without honorifics. 

“Echo, what is the last thing you remember?” Oz asked, not inching forward yet. He needed to assess how prone to reacting violently she was. 

“How did you get out of jail?” Echo tilted her head to the side, looking both confused and relieved. 

_ Oh _ .

“Echo, do you remember, we went to the embroidery gallery today?” Oz asked her. 

Silence, she simply looked confused. 

“There was a very pretty tapestry and-” he began to narrate what they had done that day in hopes of getting the Echo that currently existed in this world grounded. 

“Oz sama, where are we?” she asked. Oz loved Echo, he loved the Echo from back then, and he loved the Echo he had now. But, the Echo he had now took priority, because she was the one who had lived in this world and she was the one Oz had built a relationship with. 

“Echo, do you remember the beautiful dress with Zardosi embroidery?” Oz asked, starting to inch forward. Echo’s eyes widened, the tiniest bits of sparkles in her eyes. “It was an Indian dress, made for a princess. It sparkled when we moved from one end of the display to the other. You lit up and talked about the dress for five whole minutes.” Oz stopped in front of her. 

“Y-you were shot! Doesn’t it hurt?” she choked out. 

“I’m alright now,” he said, he took her hand and saw the hair clip clenched into her fist. “I went and got this for you and put it in your hair, do you remember?” he asked. Her eyes focused on the hair clip and then she slowly nodded, her eyes becoming slightly clearer. “That’s good,” Oz whispered. “That’s good. Now, let’s try to go to sleep, shall we?” he asked. He held out his hand to her and after hesitating for a moment, she took it. 

* * *

“Oz, coffee, please,” Reim whined, his face flat on the common dining table. 

“You have a hangover?” Oz questioned. It was unusual for Reim to have a hangover. He always drank in moderation. 

“My uncle started some kind of weird punishment game for people if they didn’t drink!” Reim complained. Oz nodded and listened to Reim talk about his uncle’s birthday party disaster with a sympathetic look on his face. 

“Oh, Reim san, you’re back,” Echo walked into the kitchen, ready for her classes.

“Good morning, Echo,” Oz said. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please,” Echo said, sitting down and reaching for the scrambled eggs that Oz had just made. Oz worked quickly, knowing that Echo was already running late. She ate hurriedly and he just managed to give her a small flask of coffee as she grabbed her bag and shot out of her chair. “I’ll see you later,” Echo told him. 

“Hm, I’ll text you,” Oz said, leaning forward and pecking her on the cheek. Echo flushed, her face scarlet. Oz chuckled to himself and she made a face at him before rushing towards the door. Oz waited until the front door shut before going to pour some coffee in a mug for Reim. 

“You guys are too fluffy so early in the morning,” Reim groaned. 

“You just focus on getting over that hangover. Eat your breakfast,” Oz said. 

Echo dreamed, but she never remembered. 

And that was OK. 

Oz still had her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! So like I said, they may be kinda OOC, but I tried! Please don't ask me where other characters are after reincarnation, I have no idea. Anyways, I hope this was a good read! Have a great Christmas!


End file.
